D&D General GM's Closet for the CONAN RPG

1. Only two players play. The tiles are placed face down between the two gamblers and are washed. That is, the tiles are mixed up randomly by the dealer. The center between the two gamblers is called the pool. An ante bet, called the "Post", is paid to the pool by both gamblers so that they have some stake in the game before the tiles are dealt. Tiles are referred to as "Tiles" or "Logs."

2. The player selects one tile from the pool. Then the dealer selects a tile. The player then selects a second tile to complete his beginning hand. And, the dealer draws last a tile to make his hand. The gamblers keep the value of these tiles secret.

3. The first betting round is made, starting with the player. Each gambler can pass, bet, fold, or raise a bet given him. Folding is referred to as "Drowning your hand."

4. The player selects a tile from the pool and places it face up in front of him. The dealer does the same. Gamblers can estimate each other's hands by looking at the open tiles and studying their opponent's play. Logs have two values, one at each end, and a gambler doesn't have to declare which value on each tile he will use until the end of the game.

5. The second betting round is made, and it is completed just as described above in step 3.

6. Each gambler selects a second open log and places it in front of him. This is done exactly as described in step 4.

7. The final betting round is made, and it is completed exactly as described in step 3.

8. Here, at the end of the game, the dealer must reveal his secret logs to his opponent. The player, at that point, can either fold his hand or reveal his secret logs. A total of a hand is made by a gambler choosing one value from each of his four logs, adding them together, creating a total. Logs sometimes have negative values as well as positive values. The winner of the hand takes the bets that have been paid to the pool, and the winning hand is made from the highest value shown except in one instance. The ultimate hand in Mud Puddle is a hand that totals exactly zero. A hand totaling zero is called a "Puddle" (Called a "Lake" or an "Ocean" in some parts of the world). Make a puddle, and you win the game.

9. In the case of a tie, the money that has been paid to the puddle stays in the puddle, and a new hand is dealt without posting an ante bet. This procedure is repeated until one of the two gamblers wins the hand.

1. The two gamblers are usually a PC and the GM playing an NPC. Both gamblers post the ante bet (called the "Post").

2. Each character rolls 1d12 and keeps the result secret (thus, starting hands are valued at 1-12). This represents the value of the dealing hand. Both characters can bet, starting with the PC.



3. At any phase, either character (or both of them) can attempt to read his opponent. This is done by the reader making a Sense Motive check, where the other character opposes the rolls with a Bluff check. The Sense Motive check is made in the open, but the Bluff check is made in secret with a +5 bonus because it's not an easy process to get a read on another gambler.

If the Sense Motive check succeeds, then that gamer can ask the other a Yes or No question stated exactly like this, "Is your hand X or less/more?"

Examples

Is your hand 4 or less?

Is your hand 6 or more?​

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The question must be answered truthfully (Yes or No) if the Sense Motive check is successful. If the Sense Motive check fails. then the opposite gamer can tell the truth or lie in his Yes or No answer.

If a Sense Motive check succeeds, then the gamer can make one Read check in each of the next phases, but if a Sense Motive check fails, then the character is not allowed to make another Read task during this hand.



4. Each character rolls 2d6 out in the open. This represents the two values of the tile drawn by the character. A character can use either die, but not both, to add to his hand. Even numbers are added to the hand. Odd numbers are subtracted from the hand. A hand in the negative numbers is considered as a value of zero. After the dice rolls is made for each character, there is a betting round.

5. Another 2d6 is thrown in the open for each character to represent the second draw. Keep this 2d6 throw separate from the previous 2d6 throw made in step 4. A character can make his final hand by adding his secret d12 roll to 1d6 from each pair.

To make the final and, a character adds his secret d12 value to 1d6 from the first pair and 1d6 from the second pair.​

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There is a final betting round.

6. The dealer character (the GM) must reveal his secret d12 and declare which of the two d6 he is using to complete his hand. Remember, even numbers on the d6 dice add to the hand while odd numbers are subtracted from the hand. The player character (playing the PC) does not have to reveal his secret d12. He can drown and lose the hand. Or, he can reveal his secret d12 and declare which of the two d6 he is using to complete his hand.

7. The character with the highest total wins the hand unless the other character can make his total exactly zero--which is the highest hand in the game.

8. In the case of a tie, the money in the pool is left (and considered the Post for the new hand), and a new hand is dealt. Hands are played until a winner takes the hand.

-- MUD PUDDLE HAND RANKS --




0 = The highest hand, but must be made by exact count. This is called a puddle.
0 = The lowest hand, made by negative cards rendering the hand total to less than zero.

24 = The second highest hand, made with a 12 on the secret tiles (the secret d12) and a 6 on each of the open tiles (the open 2d6 pairs).

1-23 = The ranked other hands possible in the game, made by the secret tiles (the secret d12) and each of the two open tiles (the two open 2d6 pairs, taking one value from each pair), where even numbers add to the hand total and odd numbers subtract from the hand's total.

-- QUICK NPCs DURING A GAME --



The various d20 3.5 games are sometimes criticized for being too time consuming for the GM when it comes to creating NPCs for a game. In this post, I'm going to detail a couple tricks that will help you create a character without skipping a beat. You'll have whatever you need for any impromptu roleplaying encounter.

How does it typically happen?

You are rolling along, playing the game, describing what a character sees. "It's a crowded marketplace. There are carts and veiled stalls. Smoke from incense, meat cooking on open grills, fresh fruit, and just caught fish all assault your nose. From the looks of things, you can buy just about anything."

A player might ask you to be more detailed about something. "Do I see anybody that doesn't look like he belongs--somebody that's probably not from the city?"

You smile and quickly answer, "It's a cosmopolitan place. People from all over crowd this area on market day."

"I'm looking for an obviously foreign caravan guard," the player says. "I'll take my time and survey the place. Do I see anybody that raises my eyebrow?"

Just off the top of your head, you keep roleplaying, making it up as you go, "Yeah, you do. A Hyrkanian." You just describe whatever comes to you. His head is shaved except for a top knot. He wears a split mustache and had long chin hair. His body is littered with homespun garments and iron studded leather. There's a sword on his hip, but in both hands he carries a greataxe.



"Well, I'll approach him." And, just like that, you've created a new character for your game--well, as least you've described one. Many times, the roleplay that follows requires no stats. But, sometimes...sometimes. You need to know more about this character.

"What! That's an insult! I'm going to slap his face!"

Thus, now, we're throwing initiative for a fist fight that might turn into something more dangerous. And, you need some quick stats for this Hyrkanian that you've just created.





I'm going to tell you right here that your goal is to come up with something quick, on the spot, and keep the game running. Save the details for later. All that you're going to create here is some stats. If you need Initiative, then you create that. If you need hit points, then you quickly create that. You only create what you need. You don't worry about fine details like racial bonuses or negatives. You just need something to use right now, this instant. Chances are, the PCs will never encounter this character again. But, if he becomes something in your game, then take the time between game sessions to flesh him out. But, that's for the time in between sessions. Right now, you need bare basics and to keep on rolling.

STATS: Use the common array, which is 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8. Arrange to taste. That's perfect. That gives you a very average character with two stats with a +1 bonus, two stats at no bonus, and two stats with a -1 penalty.

Think quick, and scratch down the six attributes. Where the character specializes, you'll use the 13 and 12. The two least important stats get the 9 and 8. And, the other two are dead-on average, with a 10 and 11.

That might be all you need.

But, if you need something else, then pick whatever come to mind and keep the game rolling. Give him level. Give him average hit points (full at 1st, and half die for each level after that, plus any CON bonus if you assigned a 13-12, or 8-9 to CON).





SKILLS? Assigning skill points is probably the most time consuming aspects of the d20 character creation system. Here, you just need to decide that if a skill is important to the character. If it's not, then don't improve it. Assume the skill does not have skill points in it. If it is important to the character, then assign max skill points to it (level + 3).

And, you're done.





FEATS? Don't worry about picking a Feat. This can also be time consuming. My advice is to not worry about a Feat unless one appropriate quickly comes to you. Otherwise, the Feat that the character has does not apply to the situation.

You can always pick a Feat later, if one comes to you then.





PREP: As always, a prepared GM is a good gamemaster. Try to make some generic characters before your game and always keep them on hand. Make up a commoner or two. Make up a guard, if guards are likely to be in your next game session. Or a bandit. Or...whatever you think might inter-act with the PCs.

You don't need individuals. You just need one of each type (for example, one commoner, one guard, etc), and you can use those stats more than once if you need them in your game.

If you really want to be prepared, then make up some tables with some NPCs of each type. Pickpockets. Guards. Fences. Dancing Girls. That way, you've got individual stats, a few skills, the character's level and any feats, right at your finger tips. You're prepared.

But, if haven't had time to do this, or the PCs have wandered into a area for which you were not prepared, or if the entire encounter is made up by you on the spot, then just use what I suggest above. You'll have everything you need in a thought's notice, and you can always customize later, between games, if you need to.

-- CONAN AND THE LANCE of the SERPENT --


You know what I've been thinking of for a long, long time? I've got the complete series of the 1E AD&D Dragonlance set. I've wondered what it would be like to convert it to the Hyborian Age.

It would be a grand battle--something like Black Colossus. I'd have a sorcerer--a worshipper of Set--rise up. Instead of Draconians, they'd become Snake Men. The dragons would be Sons of Set. The Solomani Knights? An ancient order of Knights from Aquilonia or Nemedia--or, maybe they'd just be a plain old mercenary company.

It would be an all-human campaign, of course, except for the Snake Men. The Dwarves would be....I don't know, maybe the Kingdom of Mountainous Ophir? The Elves would be another people, too. The Plainsmen? Easy, they're a Nomad culture. Make them Shemites.

This campaign would play across the world--a war that travels across the Hyborian Nations.

It'd be a lot of work, but it would be fun (and probably not as hard to make into an adventure for Conan's world as one might think).

A mod to play Conan in Mount & Blade Warband.


Clicky, clicky.

-- ASTONISHING SWORDSMEN & SORCERERS OF HYPERBOREA --






If you are looking for some published adventures to convert to your Mongoose d20 Conan game, take a look at AS&SH, now in a new edition. The game is a 1st edition D&D retro clone, but all of the elves and dwarves and halflings and other LotR type influence has been removed in favor of a tone more akin to Howard's Conan and Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborea.


In other words, the adventures are more suitable than most for conversion to Conan's Hyborian Age.

-- LAND OF THE SILVER LOTUS --








Published adventures for Swords & Sorcery gaming are hard to find. Thulsa has developed his own S&S game world, called Xoth, that has a lot in common with the Hyborian Age. Click on the title above to be taken to the latest of Thulsa's adventures.


The adventure is written for the Pathfinder rule set, which makes for a fairly easy conversion to the d20 Mongoose Conan rules.


I own the previous three adventures that Thulsa put out, and they're quite good and perfect for a game set during Conan's time. No demi-humans. Sorcery is powerful, rare, gritty, and dark. No high magic monsters, spells, traps, treasure, or situations. Good stuff.


Look around on Thulsa's site (by clicking the link in the title) to find the other adventures: XP1 - The Spider-God's Bride and Other Tales of Sword and Sorcery, XP2 - Song of the Beast-Gods, and XP 3 - The Citadel Beyond the North Wind.


XP 4 - Land of the Silver Lotus is an adventure for characters level 4-6.






On the Mongoose Forum, I asked Thulsa: "Where would you place the adventure during the Hyborian Age? In the Black Kingdoms, I assume? Any particular kingdom? But...maybe parts of Stygia?"


He replied...

Since this adventure takes place on an island, it is very easy to set it basically "anywhere" in a given campaign world. For the Hyborian Age, I think I would place the Silver Lotus Isles among the Southern Isles (or slightly north of them), and have Kwalu and his kin be originally from an ancient people of the Black Kingdoms, perhaps ancient Atlaians. The adventure could be used more or less as-is in Hyboria. Perhaps throw in some snake-men from Yanyoga to make things even more interesting...


- thulsa

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If you are interested in Thulsa's game world, Xoth, then click on the link in the title and look at the bottom of the page. There's a free 60 page pdf that you can download detailing the world, and there's a map as well.


If you're like me, and want to run game set in the Hyborian Age, then the info in those free pdfs is useful in detailing parts of the Hyborian Age and aids in conversion to a Conan game.